The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for playing an auxiliary game along with a primary game, such as those played on casino tables or electronic gaming devices.
In recent years, numerous auxiliary games have been developed and added to primary games. The goals of these auxiliary games are 1) maintain the interest of the player on the game and 2) create a need for the player to keep playing the game so that the apparatus used generates more revenues for its owner.
One strategy used to maintain the interest of the player is a jackpot or a progressive jackpot with a possible award much more interesting than the one the player can win on the primary game. Therefore, when players play a game, their interest is increased by the possibility of winning this jackpot. However, the players do not feel that they own the game or the apparatus. The players see that the jackpot will also be available if they use another apparatus or play another game.
Another strategy used for electronic gaming apparatus is the addition of a secondary game that players can access when particular events occur during the primary game. These secondary games let the players increase the amount won on the primary game or let the player have a chance to win a special award that can only be won in this secondary game. The excitement created does not last for a number of consecutive games because the player does not know when the event will occur. The jackpot or the access to the secondary game is usually awarded one game at a time. Nothing suggests that the next game could let the player win the jackpot more than the one he/she played before. These games do not give prolonged thrills, only a fixed number of short thrills.
A third strategy used to maintain the interest of the player is the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,057. In this example, a bingo matrix display (the secondary game) is coupled to a poker game (the primary game). The occurrence of different events in the poker game can produce a modification of the bingo matrix display. According to the rules of standard bingo, the player can win a prize in the auxiliary game. This game requires winning with certain hands at the game of poker to complete the bingo matrix display of the auxiliary game and to win the prize associated with the auxiliary game. The players do not feel that all games are important, they only feel that they could skip over the winning one if they quit the game for a few moments.
Another strategy available is a progressive jackpot used with live casino tables or a network of electronic gaming apparatus. This game has the disadvantages of the above-mentioned strategies.
Another strategy used is to gather a number of events of the primary game and, when a predetermined number of these events is gathered, players access an auxiliary game which usually is a prize multiplier. Most of the time, the calculation of these events is not displayed to players so they do not know when they will access the auxiliary game. Often, they are not aware of what controls the access to the auxiliary game.
Still another strategy is to give access to an auxiliary game wherein players gather points or the like and are rewarded according to the number of points gathered. The points are attributed and accumulated in the auxiliary game and are not a function of the primary game. The only relationship between the auxiliary game and the primary game is that events in the primary game control the access to the auxiliary game.
There have been no successful strategies to maintain the interest of players throughout their participation in primary games and to give them a feeling that each game played is important, without exception.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of playing an auxiliary game which maintains the interest of players and improves their pleasure of playing the game. A second object of the invention is to make each game played in the primary game an important one. A third object of the invention is to make players think they own the game so that they will continue to play and generate profits for the owner of the apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a progressive payoff to maintain the interest of the player. Another object is to display information regarding credits obtained in a predetermined number of events to sustain the thrill. A further object of the invention is to maintain their thrill by letting players gather the number of credits needed to win prizes in a greater number of games than the number of outcomes influencing results in the auxiliary game. A player""s chances of winning an auxiliary game prize are therefore increased.
According to the objects of the invention, a method of awarding a prize in an auxiliary game played along with a principal game is provided. The method comprises the steps of establishing a first class of outcomes in the principal game associated with a no-credit event in the auxiliary game, establishing a second class of outcomes associated with a non-event hold in the auxiliary game, establishing a third class of outcomes associated with a credit event in the auxiliary game, monitoring credits in the auxiliary game over a predetermined number of events and awarding a prize when a predetermined number of credits are present in this predetermined number of events in the auxiliary game, whereby avoiding no-credit events within a series of non-event holds and credit events increases a player""s chances of winning an auxiliary game prize.
A preferred embodiment of this invention comprises an electronic gaming apparatus in which a primary game is linked to an auxiliary game that works according to the method defined above. A display of the information monitored by the auxiliary game should be placed above the display of the primary game and should be easy to understand by an untrained player. In the preferred embodiment, the primary game comprises a Blackjack game wherein a win with a card sum of 21 produces a credit event in the auxiliary game, a loss produces a no-credit event and a win with a card sum of 20 or below produces a non-event hold in the auxiliary game. A gaming matrix display showing a trace of credit and no-credit events is displayed above the primary game. A number of progressive prizes associated with the gaming matrix display can be awarded following criteria based on the number of credit events monitored and displayed in the gaming matrix display.
A second embodiment is provided in which the auxiliary game is played in association with another primary game, such as Poker. In this embodiment, the definition of the three classes of outcomes are preferably different from the definition used with Blackjack and follow the rules of Poker. Also, the prizes associated with the auxiliary game are preferably different along with the criteria used to award these prizes.
A further embodiment of the present invention uses the same method of playing an auxiliary game and is integrated in live casino table games such as Blackjack or Poker.